Mounting of entomological specimens.



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APPL CANON FILED R 27 UWE;

Patent @d D6C The NV o' ENT By LS1/5er,

TTURNY UNITED @EAS FATENT FFIQE.

THEOPI-IIL PFISTER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOUNTING 0F ENTOMOLOGICAL SPECIMENS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THEOPHIL Prisma, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city and State of New York', have invented certainImprovements in the Mounting of Entomological Specimens, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the mounting ofentomological specimens such, for example, as the lepidoptera andvarious other winged insects, as butterflies, moths, and the like, andhas for its object to provide a mounting for such specimens of a simpleand comparatively inexpensive nature, presenting certain features ofnovelty and improvement .whereby the liability of breakage or injury dueto the delicate and essentially fragile character of the specimens, moreespecially when dried, is overcome, and the specimens are reinforced andstrengthened, without detracting from their ornamental appearance, tosuch an extent as to permit of being readily handled in order that theymay be adapted for various uses such, for example, as for tableornaments and for other decorative purposes.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction,and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the vimprovedmountings, whereby the same are rendered simple, comparativelyinexpensive, and capable of ready and convenient application tothespecimens to strengthen and reinforce the same against injury ordamage due to ordinary handling, all as will be hereinafter fully setforth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In order that my improvements may be the better understood, I will nowproceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure l is a perspective view illustrating anembodiment of my improved mounting applied to a moth or butterfly; Fig.2 is an enlarged sectional view taken through the specimen showingcertain features of the improved mounting which will be hereinafterexplained; Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the application of the mountingto a wing of the insect to be reinforced, and Fig. 4 is a sectional viewsomewhat similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a modiiiedarrangement ofthe wing reinforcement which` will be hereinafter described,

Patented Dec. 1%, i916.

Serial No. 86,886.

In these views I have shown my improved mounting applied to a moth orbutteriy, for strengthening or reinforcing the delicate and fragile wingstructure thereof, but although my invention presents importantadvantages for application to specimens of this kind, by reason of thehighly ornamental appearance of the mounted specimens, and of theextremely fragile charac ter of their wing scales which renders themparticularly difficult of handling without inu jury, Ido not desire tobe understood as limiting myself to this or any other specialapplication of my improvements, since it will be apparent that theimproved mounting may be applied for use in connection with many otherspecimens such, for example, as the neuroptera, with very good results.

In carrying out my invention, in the embodiment herein illustrated, Ifirst detach the wings of the specimen, and after laying them flat uponsome suitable surface, inner or under side uppermost, I apply a coatingof some suitable cement or adhesive as water glass, varnish, glue or thelike to said inner or under surfaces of the wings, after which I apply asheet of some suitable reinforcing material, as indicated at l inFig. 3,upon the prepared adhesive surfaces of the wings, pressing the samesecurely in place upon the reinforcing material, as indicated at 2 insaid figure.

Various sheet materials may be used for the wing reinforcements as, forexample, silk and various other textile fabrics, crpe de chine and otherfinely woven materials being well adapted for this purpose by reason ofthe strength and durability imparted by them to the delicate and fragilewing structure without rendering the reinforcements themselvesobtrusively apparent. In lieu of the employment of sheet reinforcements,the wing reinforcements may be produced, if desired, by the applicationof some tough adhesive to the wings as, for example, collodion or asolution of Celluloid in amyl acetate applied upon the wings of thespecimen in such a manner as to form a tough reinforcing coatingthereon.

Where the reinforcements are to be applied to butteriiies and otherlepidoptera, it will ordinarily be necessary or preferable first toremove the wing scales from the under or inner surfaces of the wings, asthese ordinarily tend to prevent the adherence of the reinforcement tothe wings. This may be accomplished by carefully brushing the scalesfrom the inner or under surfaces of the wings by means of a line brush.

After the application of the reinforcing material to the wings, assumingthat sheet material be employed for this purpose, I prefer to cut awaysaid material along the outer margins or edges of the wings, asindicated in Fig. 3, leaving a thinreinforcement 3 secured upon theunder or inner surface of each wing and conforming substantially withthe naturaloutline of the same, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2 of thedrawings, so as to strengthen the wing very greatly in order to renderit capable of being subjected to ordinary handling without materialliability of being broken or injured and also without appreciablydetracting from the appearance of the natural wing, since thereinforcement will be invisible at the outer surface where the morevivid coloring is present precisely as in nature. If desired, thereinforcement may also be transparent, or colored or ornamented insimulation of the natural wing markings. `Where desired, also, the wingsof two similar specimens may be employed in conjunction with a singlereinforcement interposed between them in order that the natural wingmarkings may be displayed at opposite surfaces of each wing of themounted specimen.

After the preparation of the wings as hereinbefore described, I applythem to the body of the specimen by attachment in any preferred mannerat the opposite lateral sides thereof. For ordinary decorative uses, itmay be preferable, on account of the fragile and brittle character ofthe natural body, to substitute therefor an artificial body made up oflower and upper members l and 5 of similar outline secured one above theother by means of cement or glue, the edge portions of the prepared andreinforced wings being glued or cemented in place between the lateraledge portions of said members in order to aHord a secure attachment ofthe wings with said body. If desired, however, the natural body may beemployed in a similar manner, or the reinforced wings may be secured tothe opposite sides thereof in any Vpreferred way. VIt will usually befound desirable to arrange the parts so that the reinforcement of eachwing has direct connection with the body and for this purpose, thereinforcing material may be trimmed in such a manner as to leave aslight extension of the reinforcement at the edge of the wing inproximity to the body, as indicated in dotted lines at 6 in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings, the extension thus provided affording a secure and strongattachment of the wing to the body of the specimen.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the body of the mounted specimen provided with aninserted stances to raise the wings at angles as indicated in Fig. l, tofacilitate which the plate or reinforcement 7, or its equivalent may beemployed with advantage.

To permit of applying the mounted specimens in various situations fordecorative effect I also provide the body of the specimen with attachingmeans of some suitable sort as, for eXample, some suitable adhesivesubstance, as plastine, applied, as indicated at 8 in the drawing to theunderside ofthe body of the specimen in order that the same may becaused to adhere to aI vase, dish or the like, as indicated in Fig. l,or if desired, apin or coiled wire 9 may be attached at the underside ofsaid body as indicated in Fig. 2 in order that the specimen may beapplied in other situations, as to plants or among cut flowers and thelike.A

In certain cases also, it may be desirable to employ a supplementalreinforcement or covering, as 10, applied over the upper or outersurfaces of the wings as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Suchsupplemental reinforcement or covering may be made from thin`transparent gauze or other material so as not to detract from thedistinctive markings of the wings, and may be attached only around theedge portions thereof, to facilitate which the sheet reinforcingmaterial 1 may be trimmed a short distance outside-the margins of thewings so as to leave a narrow projecting edge portion, as indicated atl1 in Fig. l whereon the supplemental reinforcement l0 is secured inorder to avoid damage to the upper or outer surfaces of the wings.

From the above description of my improvements it will be seen that themounting embodying my invention is of an eX- tremely simple andcomparatively inexpensive nature, and is particularly well adapted foruse by reason of the strength and durability aiforded in the mounted orprepared specimens, enabling them tobe subjected to any ordinary usageand handling without liability of damage or injury despite the esstoodas limiting myself to the precise formation and arrangement of theseveral parts .as h ercln set forth in carrying out my invention 11.1Practlce,

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

l. A mounted specimen of the character described having Wingreinforcements formed from thin resistant material extended across thesurface of the Wing structure at one side thereof to strengthen the sameagainst injury Without obliteration of the natural Wing markings.

2. A mounted specimen of the characterdescribed having a body, and Wingreinforcements at its opposite sides each formed from thin resistantmaterial extended across the surface of the wing structure at onesurface thereof to strengthen the same against injury Withoutobliteration of the natural Wing markings and affording secureattachment of the Wing structure to the body of the specimen.

3. A mounted specimen of the character described having oppositelyarranged similar Wing structures each provided With av re` inforcementextended across one of its sur faces to strengthen the structure Withoutobliteration of the natural Wing markings, and a body to Which therespective Wing structures are attached, capable of being bent to causesaid Wing structures to stand at desired angles.

et. A mounted specimen of the character described having oppositelyarranged simi-- lar Wing structures each provided With a reinforcementof thin resistant material eX- tended across one of its surfaces tostrengthen the structure Without obliteration of the natural Wingmarkings, and a body formed from tWo attached members between which theinner adjacent edge portions of the respective Wing structures are held.

5. A mounted specimen of the character described having oppositelyarranged similar Wing structures each provided with a reinforcement ofthin resistant material eX- tended across one of its surfaces tostrengthen the structure Without obliteration of the natural Wingmarkings, and a body to which the respective Wino structures areattached provided with an attached reinforcement capable of being bentto cause said Wing structures to stand at desired angles.

G. A mounted specimen of the character described having oppositelyarranged similar wing structures, and a body to which the respectiveWing structures are attached, capable of being bent to cause said Wingstructures to stand at desired angles.

7. A mounted specimen of the character described having oppositelyarranged similar Wing structures, and a body to which the respectiveWing structures are attached provided with an attached reinforcementcapable of being bent to cause said Wing structures to stand at desiredangles.

In Witness ivhereof I have hereunto signed my name this 15th day ofMarch, 1916.

THEOPHIL PFISTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

